Floating
by Lassarina Aoibhell
Summary: Yuna and Tidus reunite in Macalania Woods. SPOILERS for both FFX and FFX2. TidusYuna.


Macalania Woods always had a faint, chill bite to the air, bordering the snowy lands around Macalania Lake. Yuna made her way along the path, keeping a wary eye out for fiends, but they seemed to have deserted the woods for the time being. The path was familiar, for she had come this way many times before, both on her pilgrimage and after. She took the road that led toward Bevelle, and paused at the crossroads. To the left was the campsite where they had stayed. If she closed her eyes, she could hear again Auron's few brusque comments, Lulu's sharp reprimands, Wakka's embarrassed muttering. Kimahri spoke but seldom, though Rikku's bright chatter filled any empty silences.

She could call up the memory of Tidus's voice too, though sometimes the memories of him seemed dim and faded compared to some of the others. Perhaps she had rehearsed them too often, or perhaps they were never so real to start with. Had her mind made them into tattered mockeries of what they had once been after she learned he was but a manifestation of the faith? Instead of cherishing the memories and holding them closer, had she chased them away, ruined them like a favourite garment worn and washed too often until the colour faded and the threads were worn thin? She shivered faintly in the chill, and turned to the right instead, taking the path that led to the pond.

The area around the pond hidden deep within the woods was a bit warmer, and the water steamed faintly in the chill air. The trees cast long, deep shadows in the crimson glow of sunset. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath her boots as she moved forward to stand near the edge of the pond, breathing in the scent of water and growing things. She paused and lifted her fingers to her mouth, whistling sharply. She waited for the sound to fade, then whistled again. The sound died away into silence. The small creatures of the forest, which had fallen silent at the sound of a piercing whistle, began to chitter and scramble again.

She stood in silence with her eyes closed, letting the light breeze ruffle her hair. The ends of the strands tickled her cheeks, and she absently brushed it out of her eyes.

She heard quiet footsteps behind her, and then his arm was wrapped warm around her waist. He kissed her cheek lightly. "What were you waiting for?" he asked.

"You." She turned to face him, smiling.

"I heard you whistle." He tucked strands of her hair behind her ear. "Let's go swimming, Yuna."

She couldn't help but laugh a little. "Will you teach me to play blitzball, now?"

"Anytime you want. I _am_ the star player of the Zanarkand Abes." He grinned.

She smiled back at him, and bent down to untie the laces of her boots. His shoes hit the ground, two quiet thumps, while she stepped carefully out of her own. She heard the rustle of fabric, and Tidus's bright shirt and pants landed on the ground just within her peripheral vision. She felt the heat of a blush creeping along her skin and kept her head turned a little away, catching a glimpse of pale skin as he moved past her toward the pond. There was a quiet splash and then the soft sounds of water washing around him as he waded deeper.

She removed her skirt and top, though she kept her undergarments on, and turned to join him. She kept her head bowed and moved quickly into the warm water until it covered her up to the shoulders. Only then did she raise her head to look up at him. He was smiling, and he reached out to brush his fingertips across her cheek. She smiled back at him, and studied his face. He seemed to have changed very little in the two years he'd been gone. She wondered if he was the same person underneath. She had changed so much; had he stayed the same?

"I missed you," she said quietly.

He tipped her head up to his with the light pressure of his fingertips under her chin. "I missed you," he replied, leaning down to kiss her softly.

Her arms slid around his neck and she leaned closer to him. His skin was warm beneath her hands, and she forgot to be self-conscious about her state of dress, pressing closer to him. He was warm and _real,_ even more than he had been before. He had one hand pressed against the small of her back, the other twined in her hair to hold her close to him. They clung together. The warm, silky water lapped around their bodies and rippled against her skin. She could not seem to get close enough to him, now that they were alone with no Rikku to interrupt or Brother to "accidentally" open the wrong door. But that was far away and he was here, and they were alone. Here, where they had first kissed, she felt closer to him than she ever had; this place was theirs, and theirs alone.

Her remaining clothing drifted away on the wavelets as his hands slid over her skin in its place. She closed her eyes and held on tight, carried away on waves of sensation.

Later, they floated side-by-side upon the surface of the water, staring up at the moon that hung just above the tops of the trees. His fingertips brushed hers softly.

"I thought of you," he said softly.

"While you were gone?" she asked.

"Yes." He hesitated. "It was a bit like this. Floating there, in the midst of water that felt like nothing, and I thought of you, and this."

"I thought of you," she said, "while I hunted for spheres, and tried to find you." Two years of sorrowing, and then the quest when Rikku had brought her the sphere, the terrible uncertainty of hope and despair and not-knowing all twined together and twisting her up inside.

He grasped her hand gently, and they floated there together in silence, savouring the tenuous connection. For the first time since she set foot on the temple stones in Besaid as a fledgling summoner, ready to seek the Fayth, she felt like the future stretching out before her was truly full of hope for _her_, rather than just for Spira.

It was a little like floating.


End file.
